A tribute to and catalogue of the works of Alexander "Hugin" Wieser, founder of ambient black metal band Uruk Hai and many other side-projects, including Hrossharsgrani, Hrefnesholt, Elisabetha, B-Machina, Ceremony of Innocence and more!
Here you will find my thoughts on his work and details on the releases as drawn from items in my personal collection, forming a fuller catalogue of his work than is currently available elsewhere online

Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Title: NordwandFormat: Enhanced CD pressing on the Aphelion label (UK) in 2011, cat ref ap053. Tracks were recorded between March and October 2007 at the Wachzimmer. The release comes with a glossy inlay booklet and silver CD.Edition:500 unnumbered copies

Such were the words of Alpine Journal editor Edward Lisle Strutt in 1938, apparently not commenting on Nazgul's compulsion to collect everything Hugin-related but instead describing the ambition to climb the dreaded north face of the Eiger, which he also called "the most imbecile variant since mountaineering first began."

In this release the crack-team of Herr Insomnia and Reverend Kim (that's WACH, folks) move the focus of fear away from inner-space and psychological issues to a very different - yet no less terrifying - arena: the feared Eiger mountain in Switzerland. An unlikely subject for a homage, perhaps, but "Nordwand" (literally, 'North Wall') does just that and does it in some style too. In fact, Nazgul would go so far as to say that the tracks here are amongst the very best of all of WACH's recorded material, and 'Zum Kreuz' just may very well be the finest of their songs, bar none.

But one thing at a time - what do we know of the north face of the Eiger? Nazgul's potted history goes something like this:

The Eiger is a mountain in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland, standing at 3,970m (13,025 ft). To get an idea of the scale of this imagine 2,071 Hugins all standing one on top of the other, and you'll get the approximate height. The Eiger is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends across the Mönch to the Jungfrau at 4,158m. The northern side of the mountain rises about 3,000m (9,800 ft) above Grindelwald and other inhabited valleys of the Bernese Oberland, and the southern side faces the deeply glaciated region of the Jungfrau-Aletsch, covered by some of the largest glaciers in the Alps. From Kleine Scheidegg a railway tunnel runs inside the Eiger and two internal stations provide easy access to viewing windows in the mountainside.This railway, the Jungfraubahn rack railway, terminates in the Jungfraujoch, between the Mönch and the Jungfrau, at the highest railway station in Europe. And in a not entirely unrelated piece of trivia, your humble scribe visited this very area back in around 1984 on a trip up the Jungfrau as a young Nazgul. It is a fabulous area to visit, and doubtless contributed in some small way to Nazgul's desire to purchase a castle and set up home high in remote crumbling rocky crags back in the UK....

The Eiger is mentioned in records dating back to the 13th century but there is no clear indication of how exactly the peak gained its name. The three mountains of the ridge are commonly referred to as the Virgin (German: Jungfrau - translates to "virgin" or "maiden"), the Monk (Mönch) and the Ogre (Eiger). The name has been linked to the Latin term acer, meaning "sharp" or "pointed," but more commonly to the German eigen, meaning "own".

The Nordwand, German for "north wall" or "north face," is the spectacular north (or, more precisely, northwest) face of the Eiger. It is one of the six great north faces of the Alps, towering over 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above Kleine Scheidegg. At 2,866 metres inside the mountain lies the Eigernordwand railway station. The station is connected to the north face by a tunnel opening at the face, which has sometimes been used to rescue climbers. To say it is dangerous is an understatement: a bit like suggesting Jaws would give you a bit of a nip if he smelt your blood in open water. Since 1935, at least sixty-four climbers have died attempting the north face, earning it the German nickname Mordwand, literally "murder(ous) wall." It is regarded as a formidable challenge more because of the increased rockfall and diminishing ice-fields than because of its technical difficulties

While the summit was reached without much difficulty in 1858 by a complex route on the west flank, the battle to climb the north face has captivated the interest of climbers and non-climbers alike. Before it was successfully climbed, most of the attempts on the face ended tragically and the Bernese authorities even banned climbing it and threatened to fine any party that should attempt it again. But the enthusiasm which animated the young talented climbers from Austria and Germany finally vanquished its reputation of unclimbability when a party of four climbers (Anderl Heckmair, Ludwig Vörg, Heinrich Harrer and Fritz Kasparek, forming a German-Austrian group) successfully reached the summit on July 24, 1938 by what is known as the "1938" or "Heckmair" route. During this first first successful ascent, the four men were caught in an avalanche as they climbed the Spider (a portion of the upper face is called "The White Spider," as snow-filled cracks radiating from an ice-field resemble the legs of a spider) but all had enough strength to resist being swept off the face. Remarkable.Their success followed a notorious tragedy in 1935 when two young German climbers from Bavaria, Karl Mehringer and Max Sedlmeyer, arrived at Grindelwald to attempt to climb the face. They waited a long time for good weather and when the clouds finally cleared they started. The two climbers reached the height of the Eigerwand station and made their first bivouac. On the following day, because of the greater difficulties, they gained little height. On the third day they made hardly any vertical ground. That night a storm broke and the mountain was hidden in fog, and then it began to snow. Avalanches of snow began to sweep the face and the clouds closed over it. Two days later, there was a short moment when the clouds cleared and the mountain was visible for a while. The two men were glimpsed, now a little higher and about to bivouac for the fifth time. Then the fog came down again and hid the climbers. A few days later the weather finally cleared, revealing a completely white north face. The two climbers were found later frozen to death at 3,300m, at a place now known as "Death Bivouac".

The climbers that attempted the north face could be easily watched through the telescopes from the Kleine Scheidegg, a pass between Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, connected by rail. The contrast between the comfort and civilization of the railway station and the agonies of the young men slowly dying a short yet uncrossable distance away led to intensive coverage by the international media.

You begin to see why this subject generates plenty of scope for a WACH release, brimful as it is with moody majestic ambiance, jagged effects and a magical mixture of harmony and discord.

The release has had some positive write-ups online, notably on the www.kulturterrorismus.desite, which reported, "With "Nordwand", WACH offers up a treasure, which is characterised by content, musical and artistic unity, my absolute recommendation!"

Whilst the promotional blurb for the album cited on the Eisenwald online shop is also a good summary of what awaits the intrepid listener:

"Majestic Dark Ambient, Drone and Noise from Austria with Hugin of Uruk Hai. "Nordwand" impressively demonstrates the various facets of the Eiger North Face and is an homage to the mountain itself, devoted to the grandeur and the danger of the mountain and the will of the people who strive to conquer the Eiger North Wall and honouring those who were defeated. Masterful, cinematic Dark Ambient!"

What WACH have done here is to successfully juxtapose the harsh beauty of one of the world's most dangerous peaks with their own brand of harshly beautiful dark ambiance, yet in a way totally different from other bands in the genre (Vinterriket being one that immediately springs to mind). There is an otherworldliness about this release that maintains links to the earlier releases of the band, yet a warmth and maturity of composition and sound that pushes the project further still down an individual path to glory.The video track, incidentally, is directed in a familiar style by Herr Insomnia and features some panoramic scenes of the Alps with some alarming electric blue flashing in the layered footage underneath. Almost a lightning storm on the Alps...

It's taken a while for Honour and Darkness to review the "Nordwand" album rather than the associated artwork prints in Nazgul's collection, but it was well worth the wait. Like the mountain itself, it's simply immense.

Today's offering comes shrouded in mystery and dark magic. Strange forces working in unfathomable ways conspired to delivery this collectible item to the Castle gates one wet and blustery day in September of this year, and the tale to be told is as unlikely as anything you'll be likely to read this month.

Picture the scene: it's July 2012, Hugin is hunting through his darkest archives in W.A.R. looking for that special item to add to Nazgul's latest purchases, when this old Elisabetha master tape comes to light. It's an interesting piece: a one-off 4 track recording (so each side holds a two-track recording of the demo, meaning you can't play it and listen to it as a final recording) for the 2000 release "Durst Nach Unsterblichkeit". Excellent - a nice item for the box, and off it goes in the Austrian post to wing its way to England.

Except...something terrible happens en route, and said parcel fails to arrive as expected. Outrage and outcry follow as night follows day, and despite much searching and tracking through the Austrian and British postal systems no sight of the package is made. It has simply disappeared in transit, the postal equivalent of Flight 19 disappearing into the fog-shrouded night of the Devil's Triangle...

Fast forward to September: Hugin is coming to England again (yay!) along with Australian guitarist and 'king of the sangers' Joe Matera. Touching down in the (very) wet UK, Hugin has kindly brought with him replacement copies of other items from the missing parcel but not - of course - a replacement Master Tape, for that was unique and therefore irreplaceable.

The morning of Monday 4 September sees the unholy Trinity of Hugin, Joe and Nazgul preparing for the 250 mile trek up to the frozen north of England to do some gigs. And what should pop through the letterbox into the dainty hands of Lady Nazgul just before departure? Why yes, the missing parcel no less, some 8 weeks later!

The odds of this tape arriving on the same day that Hugin happened to be standing in the Castle Library must be staggeringly remote, and in makes Nazgul's head hurt to think about it. Coincidences are funny things at the best of times, but sometimes they do make you wonder...

So all was well in the world, the universal matrix had reestablished order from chaos, and Nazgul's collection was better off by one very special item.

And here endeth today's story - and it's all true: I know, because I was there...

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Today's offering is a quick recap-cum-sales-list, building on some sterling cataloguing undertaken by Hugin himself on Facebook. Whilst not a full list of all of Hugin's releases, it gives all of the project releases under his own label and shows - on rare occasions - when a release is actually still available for purchase.

And purchase you must, as some of the available stock is both excellent and highly collectible.

Monday, 22 October 2012

Band:URUK HAITitle: Darkness (Part V - 'Between The Darkness And The Light')Format: Cassette release on the Wulfrune Worxx label from 2010, cat ref. WAR BOX002. This particular tape pressing is only available in the "Darkness" box-set (2010), although the song has been reissued on CDr as part of a different "Darkness" boxed CDr release in 2012. In keeping with the remainder of the tapes in the series, this sports black and white artwork and a numbered inlay.Edition:Only 5 hand-numbered cassettes

Darkness, as polar to brightness, is understood to be an absence of visible light. Humans are unable to distinguish colour when either light or darkness predominate - in the absence of light, perception is achromatic and ultimately, black. The emotional response to darkness has metaphorical connotations in many cultures: in the Western world, darkness is used to connote the presence of shadows, evil, and foreboding.

The first day of the biblical creation narrative begins with darkness, into which is introduced the creation of light, and the separation of this light from the darkness (as distinct from the creation of the sun and moon on the fourth day of creation). Thus, although both light and darkness are included in the comprehensive works of God- darkness was considered "the second to last plague" (Exodus 10:21), and the location of 'weeping and gnashing of teeth'. (Matthew 8:12)

The use of darkness as a rhetorical device has a long standing tradition. Shakespeare, working in the 16th and 17th centuries, made a character called the Prince of Darkness" in King Lear, and gave darkness jaws with which to devour love in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Chaucer, the 14th century Middle English writer, wrote that knights must cast away the 'workes of darkness', whilst Dante described hell as 'solid darkness stain’d'.

'Darkness' is also the title of a poem written by Lord Byron in July 1816. That year was known as the 'Year Without a Summer' because Mount Tambora had erupted in the Dutch East Indies the previous year, casting enough ash in to the atmosphere to block out the sun and cause abnormal weather across much of north-east America and northern Europe. This pall of darkness inspired Byron to write his poem, telling the apocalyptic story of the last man on earth.

Strange weather and an inexplicable darkness caused record-cold temperatures across Europe following this event, especially in Switzerland. Byron claimed to have received his inspiration for the poem, saying he "wrote it... at Geneva, when there was a celebrated dark day, on which the fowls went to roost at noon, and the candles were lighted as at midnight". The darkness was (unknown to those of the time) caused by the volcanic ash spewing from the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia. The search for a cause of the strange changes in the light of day only grew as scientists discovered sunspots on the sun so large that they could be seen with the naked eye. Newspapers such as the London Chronicle reported on the panic:

"The large spots which may now be seen upon the sun's disk have given rise to ridiculous apprehensions and absurd predictions. These spots are said to be the cause of the remarkable and wet weather we have had this Summer; and the increase of these spots is represented to announce a general removal of heat from the globe, the extinction of nature, and the end of the world."

A scientist in Italy even predicted that the sun would go out on July 18, shortly before Byron's writing of "Darkness". His 'prophecy' caused riots, suicides, and religious fervour all over Europe.

And speaking of pan-European fervour and riots (but hopefully not suicides), let's focus upon the subject of todays post: another Uruk Hai offering, the fifth and - apparently - final part of the Darkness series. This particular tape was originally an unique part of the 2010 "Darkness" box-set, and was the culmination of the five-part tape series. Unlike the preceding four parts, it was not subject to a separate release on Wulfrune Worxx and therefore to hear it you would have had to be one of the lucky 5 owners of the big black box that was "Darkness".

This all changed in 2012, however, with the release of another box-set also called "Darkness", housed in a special DVD-style case on the South Korean Fallen Angel Productions label. This latter release brought the Darkness series together on CDr for the first time (the 2010 box-set providing a DVD-r disc copy of the music), but in so doing added a 'Part VI' to the saga. Consequently this review of 'Part V' is not the culmination of the piece after all, but merely the next chapter - in movie terms, think of Darkness as an unstoppable monster a la Jason Voorhees, coming back time and again for random slaughter and other amusements.

Musically this fits in well with the indescribable events of 'Parts I-IV', and by that Nazgul refers to the impossible to categorise or define aural excitement emanating from the speakers. There are fleeting samples of both female and male narration in the mix, weirdly swirling and ambient soundscapes developing and pulsating like distant lights in a fog bank. Listen to this release on speakers at high volume and you'll feel like you've been dragged from darkness to light and back again, via every obscure avenue.

The music mirrors the artwork- somewhat vague and unclear at times, hinting at unfathomable weirdness and mystery. It's certainly not the run of the mill Uruk Hai release, and is therefore an unexpected listening experience when encountered at the end of the box-set. Until 2012, as noted above, you would have struggled to wrap your ears around this as the box was ridiculously limited in availability - the advent of the Fallen Angels version gives an opportunity for a wider audience to be simultaneously enthralled and perplexed.

And so ends the extended review of the "Darkness" box-set - or, more accurately, the black-boxed tape version of the set from 2010. Allowing for the fact that the original 10 song "Darkness" demo of 2001 has very little to do with the successive long ambient tracks contained on Parts II through to V, it's still a pretty monumental set of recordings, augmented by the care with which the box contents have been assembled.

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell" C. S. Lewis

Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Band: URUK HAITitle: Angband (Metal Fortress)Format: A 4CDr and tape release on the Runenstein Records label (Germany) in 2010, cat ref RR01. There are two formats for this release: the more limited edition comes as a metal box-set, containing the four discs and cassette of the standard release but with a bonus 3"CDr of additional material, plus a poster of the cover art. Also contained in the release is a plastic figure of an Orc, together with a map of Middle-Earth. Edition:There are 21 hand-numbered copies of this release in total, of which the first 5 only came in the metal box-set format and the remaining 16 as standard editions.

Another very welcome addition to the Uruk Hai discography came along in 2010 with the debut release on Runenstein Records of this expansive CDr and cassette set comprising old, current, and unreleased Uruk Hai material. The very limited edition metal box version sold out quickly as you might imagine, and in a total edition of only 21 copies the avid fan would have had to be pretty quick off the mark to get their hands on this highly limited release in either format.

The map of Middle-Earth

The avalanche of Uruk Hai box-sets that have appeared in 2012 have rather taken away from the scarcity of such prized release, but back in 2010 the a boxed Uruk Hai compilation was a mouth-watering prospect and long awaited by fans. The multi-format content of this set was an indication of things to come - albeit on other labels - in terms of later Uruk Hai boxed editions, but credit to Runenstein for getting in there first and setting the tone for things to come.

Exclusive 3" CDr for the metal box

Aside from the actual box itself and assorted trinkets inside, the core element of both versions of this release is the 4CDr box of material, plus the tape containing the 'Metal Fortress' track. The one musical bonus offered to the die-hard purchaser of the metal box version is the 3"CDr disc in its small case with previously released song 'March To War' plus hidden track 'Power Of The Ring'.

Incidentally, the artwork for the main four discs is the same in style as for the 3" disc shown above.

But before we embark on an analysis of the material in the set you may well be wondering about the title of this compilation - "Angband" - and from whence it derives...

Exclusive poster from the metal box-set

...So, into Tolkien's Middle-earth we must go. Angband (Sindarin for 'iron prison') was the name of the fortress of Melkor, constructed before the First Age, located in the Iron Mountains in the enemy's land Dor Daedeloth north of Beleriand (the fortress is described in The Silmarillion). It was built by Morgoth to guard against a possible attack by the Valar. Nonetheless, the Valar succeeded in capturing Morgoth and destroying his main stronghold Utumno: Angband, though devastated, was only partially destroyed. Over time, the dark creatures in Morgoth's service would gather in its ruined pits. After three ages of imprisonment, Morgoth returned to Middle-earth and set himself up in Angband, raising the volcanic Thangorodrim over the fortress as protection. He came out of it again but once, when challenged to single combat by the Elven king Fingolfin. He reigned there until the end of the First Age, when it was destroyed in the War of Wrath.

Metal Fortress: the cassette

In earlier versions of Tolkien's mythology the fortress was called Angamando, the Quenya form of the name. As Angamando sounds like an obscure Oriental martial art or an anger-management technique, I think Runenstein chose wisely with their title!

With a box-set of this size there's always an issue of knowing quite where to start a review, and there's little merit in going through this track by track as some of the material will be/should be broadly familiar territory already as it comes from a myriad of past releases.The metal Fortress tape is an interesting medley piece, and one that would benefit from a review of its own in the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled for that one!

Eric the Orc!

The content is interesting, though: the inclusion of tracks from "Northern Lights" featuring Krom are likely to split opinion as they normally do, with some feeling the harsh vocals don't quite sit within the Uruk Hai sound. The four songs on offer take up a substantial proportion of CD2, and are quite a contrast in feel to the lusher, more orchestral (and more recent) tracks to be found on CD1.

This is the perennial curse of any compilation of this nature - if taken over the complete recorded history of a band it's often a problem all of the songs sit happily alongside each other, especially when the artist is likely to capture many different influences in his work! There's no right and wrong in the dark art of track compilation, more a question of personal taste, and the beauty of having four discs to play with is that if a particular song grates with you there's bound to be a more welcome one just around the corner....!

Runenstein promotional card

Where "Angband" scores some bonus points is in its inclusion of previously unreleased songs from the W.A.R. Productions vaults, which still seems to contain rich seams of unmined musical goodness. This release unearths 2 such items: a handily named outro piece called 'Angband' from 2010, along side a second track from that year named 'Orcrist'. Both instrumental, and both very much in keeping with band's style at that time.

What can be said is that the care and attention to detail contained in this release is second to none, from the quality of the metal tin itself through to the printing and final finish of the maps, inserts and discs.

Destined to be a much-sought-after item on many collectors 'wants list', even the standard version is exceedingly hard to find anywhere and Nazgul hasn't seen one advertised for sale for well over a year. The metal box pressing - which became something of a trademark of early Runenstein releases - is naturally even more demanding to find and - quite frankly - I don't think you'd find a copy for love or money now. Originally the item came with a price tag of around 60€, possibly a little more (Nazgul tends to blank such financial matters from his mind to maintain sanity) so it was a fairly pricey item new (although it has doubtless maintained its value over time).

An excellent addition to any collection, and one that was a precursor of the vast programme of reissues undertaken by W.A.R. Productions in the years following. With long winter nights drawing in, this is the perfect companion to listening to the cold winds blowing against the library windows, and it remains a jewel in the Castle collection.

Thursday, 11 October 2012

Band:HROSSHARSGRANITitle: FatheR:LanD [various artists]Format: Digipak CD pressing on the Steinklang Productions label (Austria), 2012, cat ref SK62, and released in association with Beverina. This compilation is dedicated to the memory of Zigfrids Silders (the late father of Juris Silders, of Beverina). Mastered at Luftschutzkerker (Switzerland) in spring 2012.Edition:300 unnumbered copies

Marking the return of Hrossharsgrani to the pages of Honour and Darkness, this lovingly crafted compilation album has been a real pleasure to listen to from start to finish. The concept for the album was that of Juris Silders, son of Zigfrids, as a tribute to his late father, and has evidently been assembled with love and attention to detail. You may remember Juris from a previous interview on Honour and Darkness, way back on 27 February 2010.

Described on the label website as a "brilliant compilation with mostly exclusive songs (or never before released versions) ... a kind of soundtrack for the human being, of life and death, joy and sorrow..." this indeed proves to be the case, and for once an album lives up the hype. The album contains a mixture of (mostly) acoustic and electric tracks with all the hallmarks of the Neofolk/Industrial genres stamped across them, with folk elements, medieval instruments, poetic lyrics and martial rhythms very much to the fore. Ordinarily at this juncture Nazgul would revert to quoting you an online review or two, normally from authorities like Heathen Harvest, but much to his surprise there is nothing to speak of online that critiques this release. This is a shame, as it's a very special release and one that deserves far more attention than it currently seems to be getting.

Whilst Nazgul is far from the authority needed to pass judgement on the album as a whole (other than to whole heatedly recommend you go and buy a copy), the merits of the Hrossharsgrani track does fall within the ambit of Honour and Darkness to comment upon. For starters, let's focus on the title, 'Es Dziedasu Par Tevi, Tévu Zeme' which literally translates as 'I will sing for you, fatherland' from its native Latvian. Yes, Hrossharsgrani covering an old Latvian patriotic song- another unexpected twist from this entirely unpredictable project! The song utilises an original recording of the lyrics in native Latvian, and overlays both martial percussive effects and some synthesiser horn sounds, both of which complement the piece nicely. The 'scratchy gramophone' style introduction is also in keeping with the age of the song.

Quite where the Hrossharsgrani project is heading is an interesting point of debate: originally the Hross' battle-machine was very much in the black metal style but has dallied with Viking influences, Roman epic themes, a more industrial sound in the remix of "Sanguis", whilst now moving into this Neofolk influenced genre. It may simply be that in being asked to contribute a song to the compilation Hrossharsgrani was the most appropriate (and flexible) of Hugin's various projects to record with, and perhaps we should not see this departure from the norm as evidence of a fundamental change in direction for the band. That said, with a reissue of older demos underway through "The Ancient Path" box-set and a newly reissued tape release of "Ewig Winter", it may be that a line is being drawn under the past canon of recordings with the intention of another re-launch of the Hross' brand. Only time will tell...

Back to the music - it appears that 'Es Dziedasu Par Tevi, Tévu Zeme' pre-dates WW2 and was re-activated (if that's the right expression) in Latvia by Silvija Silava circa 1988, at the Rehabilitation of the Latvian Flag ceremony. Additionally, according to the organisers of an online project, it is number nine in the list of all-time favourite Latvian patriotic songs, as voted for by Latvians the world over (the homeland’s national anthem, “Dievs, svētī Latviju!,”ranks as the No. 1 song that has kept up the spirits of Latvians in what was known as the diaspora - the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland),

The song was composed in 1903 by Jēkabs Graubiņš (1886-1961): Juris Silders noted to Nazgul that due to the use of old Latvian words in the song it is difficult to translate into English, but that the spirit of the words can be captured in the following quotation:

"I will sing for you, fatherland,For your old cornfield fields.And, when I will be tired by the burden of life,Then I will lay rest at your side"

The song was chosen for this release as it was a particular favourite of Zigfrids Silders, representing a dream for Fatherland and recognition of the beauty of home.

Contributors to this compilation include bands that will be familiar to you from past features on Honour and Darkness, including Vinterriket, Svarrogh and Dead Man's Hill. Others will be recognisable as major players in their genre, whilst some - as you find on all good compilations - will be new bands that you've yet to discover. With the promise of largely previously unreleased and exclusive material - presented by the bands personally to honour the tribute being made - it is a splendid reason to give this album a try.

If you are interested in buying a copy of this CD, then Nazgul advises you to head to the shop at Steinklang Records.

Monday, 8 October 2012

Band:WACHItem: A signed photograph of the album artwork for the "Nordwand" release

Nazgul apologises for the longer than normal delay between posts. This has been due to a very good reason, mind you: the return to UK shores of Hugin himself, followed by a lengthy 1000 mile trek around the north of England between your scribe, Hugin and Australian guitar virtuoso Joe Matera. Gigs, giggles and gossip inevitably ensued, and one fine day Nazgul will tell you all the story of how Greyhound Bridge came to life, how new tattoos were inked, and how one man's quest to conquer Europe with a guitar played out.

But until that day, it's time to get Honour and Darkness back on track. So here, as a quick but interesting restart to proceedings, is another collectible item associated with the 2011 release "Nordwand" from WACH.

Those of you convinced that Nazgul has simply lost his marbles and is putting up the same artwork as shown on 6 July 2012 can rest assured that this is something different: rather than being the silvered (and very clever) creation of the former post, this is a 7x5 photograph of the album artwork that has been signed by its creator, Chris Huber.

Yes, the signature in silver marker to the bottom right is that of Chris H. of Kunstgalerie and is dated 2007. This is interesting as the release of the CD (on Aphelion Productions) was much later in 2011, but the actual music was recorded between March and October 2007. But more of the release itself when Nazgul gets his arse into top gear again and rediscovers it for review within the confines of the library.

Another excellent item for the Castle collection and one that deserves to be framed and properly hung, which is precisely what Nazgul will now go off and look into doing.